At the Table newsletter: Five merry restaurants for holiday cheer

Liz Balmaseda, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read
Holiday cocktails, like this Winter Wonderland sip at Kabuki Sushi, abound.
Holiday cocktails, like this Winter Wonderland sip at Kabuki Sushi, abound.

5 merry restaurants for holiday cheer

The rush to Christmas cheer began extra early this year, by my estimate. Even weeks before our Thanksgiving turkey emerged golden from the oven, we couldn’t wait to put up our holiday decorations. No doubt a new festive mood would have something to do with last year’s toned-down holidays. Even though our pandemic woes aren’t over, we’ve craved the communal cheer, the scent of a new Christmas tree, pop of red holly berries, merry cocktails, warm cookies, Mexican tamales, breakfast panettone, creamy coquito, all manners of peppermint bark.

But cheer is more than what we can see, hear and taste. It’s a festive vibe. Here are five particularly merry spots:

Festive and shareable: Lynora's salumi e formaggi platter is the eatery's answer to the charcuterie trend. The Lynora's local restaurant chain began in 2014 with a downtown West Palm location.
Festive and shareable: Lynora's salumi e formaggi platter is the eatery's answer to the charcuterie trend. The Lynora's local restaurant chain began in 2014 with a downtown West Palm location.

Lynora’s. Pick a Lynora’s restaurant location, any of the local chain’s locations, and expect to find merriment. A festive vibe is as central to Lynora’s identity as Mamma’s real-deal red sauce. (Lynora’s has locations in Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. Details at Lynoras.com.)

Cucina Cabana. The centerpiece of this Italian restaurant is its cabaret-style bar, which hosts live music nightly. The cabaret’s king is Ray Chang, singer, entertainer and bar-top dancer. He performs Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. (1201 U.S. Hwy 1, Crystal Cove Commons plaza, North Palm Beach, 561-626-1616)

Copacabana Cuban Cuisine. This bustling spot brought authentic Cuban flavors, music and vibe to Abacoa more than seven years ago -- and Main Street has never been the same. Expect shareable tapas, delicious classics, refreshing mojitos, domino games and live salsa nights at “The Copa.” (1209 Main St., Abacoa, Jupiter, 561-360-3378)

Andalucía Tapas Bar. This newish Spanish-inspired restaurant, which serves a menu of traditional tapas and other Iberian classics, hosts Flamenco nights on Fridays. That’s festive, capitalized. (187 Tequesta Dr., Tequesta, 561-406-6509)

HMF bar at The Breakers. First, you walk through the most splendidly decorated hotel lobby you’ll see during Christmas in Palm Beach. The lush Christmassy touches light your way to the resort’s glamorous bar, where the bites are eclectic and the cocktails can’t be merrier. (1 South County Rd., Palm Beach, 561-290-0104)

Do you have a favorite spot for instant holiday cheer? I’d love to hear about it. Email me at lbalmaseda@pbpost.com.

Tickets are still available for the "Sustain" dinner at PB Catch Palm Beach during the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival, shown here in a previous year.
Tickets are still available for the "Sustain" dinner at PB Catch Palm Beach during the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival, shown here in a previous year.

Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival

The county’s favorite culinary extravaganza returns next Thursday night and runs for four days. Most events are sold out, but you can still find tickets to a few good ones:

  • The Thursday night “Sustain” dinner at PB Catch Palm Beach featuring Charleston star chef Mike Lata and acclaimed Miami chefs Brad Kilgore and Giorgio Rapicavoli.

  • Friday’s “Lunch with Friends” at Meat Market Palm Beach featuring visiting chefs Jonathon Sawyer, Joe Flamm and David Rose.

  • Saturday’s “Lunch with Tony and Frank” at Café Chardonnay in Palm Beach Gardens, during which chef/owner Frank Eucalitto hosts famed Chicago chef Tony Mantuano.

  • Saturday night’s “Bubbles and Bites” walk-around tasting party at PGA National Resort starring chefs Lindsay Autry and Jeremy Ford, who are opening restaurants at the resort soon.

  • Sunday’s daylong event, PBFWF at The Square, takes over the West Palm Beach plaza formerly known as Rosemary Square/CityPlace. The main event is free and open to the public. Tickets are still available for related micro events.

Find tickets and more info at PBFoodWineFest.com.

Have a perfectly merry weekend!

Liz Balmaseda

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Newsletter: Five merry restaurants for holiday cheer